AFC Leopards head coach Patrick Aussems says the title race pressure got into Gor Mahia players’ heads and believes that it played a part in his team’s 2-1 win in the derby on Sunday.Ingwe ended their seven-year wait for a win over their archrivals with a triumph at Nyayo Stadium. The win not only handed them points and bragging rights but also dented Gor Mahia’s chances of reclaiming the league title as they relinquished the top position to Tusker FC with four matches left before the season concludes.##NAJAVA_MECA_7252346##Goals from Victor Omune and Maxwell Otieno ensured that Ingwe registered a win over Gor for the first time since 2016. Former Leopards man Austin Odhiambo scored what proved to be the consolation strike for K’Ogalo.Before Omune’s opener from the penalty spot for the Leopards, Gor had missed a penalty of their own moments earlier. Levis Opiyo’s foul on Peter Lwasa saw referee Badir Yasin award Gor Mahia a spot kick, which their top striker Benson Omala missed, and for Aussems, the miss was down to pressure that he had pointed out before kickoff.”Before the game, I told my players that the pressure was on Gor Mahia, and the penalty miss proved that the pressure was on them, and we played in a relaxed way and got the three points,” the Belgian said in his post-match interview.Congratulations @AFCLeopards on winning today’s edition of the #MashemejiDerby. pic.twitter.com/Ohxc0yQ4m1— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) May 14, 2023 The tactician was equally impressed to have found goals through set-pieces, a rare thing for the team this campaign. The first was from the spot, while Otieno’s was a header from a corner kick delivery.”We were not really lucky on set pieces in the last games, but today we scored from a penalty and a corner. During the game, we also had some opportunities that we did not take, but the most important is the victory,” he said.Despite it being Ingwe’s first win in seven years over Gor, the coach was quick to put the triumph behind him.”Seven years without a win is already a memory; the win is also a memory, and we now need to think about Saturday’s game against the Homeboyz,” he added.NSL: Murang’a Seal take promotion push to Mombasa
